The CS person told me that id I purchase a new TIVO from a big box vendor I could transfer my lifetime to that box. IF I buy from TIVO I can not transfer lifetime. Anyone have any eveperience with lifetime transfer??

That's just totally incorrect. If you have a non-lifetime sub, you can transfer it if you buy from someone other than TiVo. Lifetime subs are not transferable, especially changing models.

Yeah, I read the first few pages and the last page, but not much in the middle. I saw the the issue was escalated, but there didn't seem to be a ton of hope for a quick fix. We ran out of guide data on the 25th (Merry Christmas!) and I'm pretty grumpy about it. We have a FiOS DVR downstairs but I like the Tivo better and it's in my bedroom, where I *need* it to watch Colbert, and my kids *need* it to watch exciting stuff like Dora or Diego in the mornings so I can take a shower!

We tried the monkeyfacedave clear-program-data last night and I forced about 30 daily calls after that, to no avail. Grrrrrrrr. I'm still glad to have found this thread confirming that what the phone reps were telling me made no sense whatsoever.

DotComCTO,

I did not say Clearing "Program Data" would work - I tried it, it does not do anything.

You have to select "CLEAR AND DELETE EVERYTHING" which will take you back to guided setup. This will get your Tivo back to normal again.

I am feeling very discouraged. Over a week without data. I am watching everything I have left. I think the most important thing we can do is to keep the pressure up by calling and writing in this forum.

I was told to also write to tivo support, I don't know what that can do, but adding the URL from this tread might help.

What I really am disappointed about is the bad service I have had from TIVO. Aside from the gentlemen on this tread, the customer service reps have continued to blame MY Tivo box. This is in spite of giving them the data.

If they would have offered to transfer my lifetime service to another box, then I might have done it. However, they only offer $100 off new lifetime service.

I do believe that given enough time, TIVO will solve this problem. But they are not going to do it without pressure. Why should they care ab out Series 1 owners? Most of them probably did not even work for TIVO when they came out.

I am feeling very discouraged. Over a week without data. I am watching everything I have left. I think the most important thing we can do is to keep the pressure up by calling and writing in this forum.

When TiVo Jerry returns from vacation, I will bet that your problems will be resolved quickly. He was 100% instrumental in getting us all up and running the last time this happened. In the meantime, keep trying the calls manually - remember, when you get the "call interrupted" message, it means that at least it started downloading, and the download is cumulative. So eventually it will download completely.

... In the meantime, keep trying the calls manually - remember, when you get the "call interrupted" message, it means that at least it started downloading, and the download is cumulative. So eventually it will download completely.

Mine never gets as far as "call interrupted". It fails while connecting with the message "service unavailable."

Mine never gets as far as "call interrupted". It fails while connecting with the message "service unavailable."

When I previously had this problem, I would also get both messages, "call interrupted" and "service unavailable". But repeated manual connects would eventually get me a 'call interrupted" and then as mentioned earlier, the download is cumulative. After several "call interruped" calls, it would eventually complete.

Just curious how when this problem cropped up in the past it wasn't somehow fixed for all TiVo owners going forward, even those who weren't having the problem at the time. It is obviously some issue that is resolved by TiVo doing something on their end, even if that something results in an update to the users TiVo. Why wouldn't this solution have been sent to all Series 1 machines? And if it wasn't, how did they differentiate between boxes. They couldn't have entered all the TSNs for the boxes with the problem.

Just curious how when this problem cropped up in the past it wasn't somehow fixed for all TiVo owners going forward, even those who weren't having the problem at the time. It is obviously some issue that is resolved by TiVo doing something on their end, even if that something results in an update to the users TiVo. Why wouldn't this solution have been sent to all Series 1 machines? And if it wasn't, how did they differentiate between boxes. They couldn't have entered all the TSNs for the boxes with the problem.

When I went through the thread last week, it seems that the issue last time was related to a firewall configuration change/issue on TiVo's side. It seems like it is something related to a new network/configuration issue on their side since everyone seems to have had the issue start right around 12/6.

If I do the guided set up and nothing else, what stops the TIVO from going into an endless loop when it tries to reconnect to the TIVO servers. I don't even mind losing data at this point. I just don't want to make it even worse than it is. I wish a TIVO representative could chime in about the possibility that doing a guided set up would help. I did erase the thumbs up and suggestions (9 years worth) and it seemed to restart TIVO but nothing changed about its ability to download.

When I went through the thread last week, it seems that the issue last time was related to a firewall configuration change/issue on TiVo's side. It seems like it is something related to a new network/configuration issue on their side since everyone seems to have had the issue start right around 12/6.

--DotComCTO

Exactly how I remember it. And it also may have been related to the length of the log file trying to pass through the firewall/over the network. Therefore, clearing and deleting things reduces the log file and may provide a TEMPORARY fix. As the log file rebuilds, the problem may return.

I did not say Clearing "Program Data" would work - I tried it, it does not do anything.

You have to select "CLEAR AND DELETE EVERYTHING" which will take you back to guided setup. This will get your Tivo back to normal again.

David in Seattle

Hey, that was me who CTO was quoting, so I'm the doofus who had it wrong, not him. I think someone somewhere in the thread said maybe just deleting the other stuff would help because it'd reduce the data going back to Tivo, blah blah blah. And since I don't want to lose some of the stuff on the HD (I still have a clip from when my husband and I were on TV something like 7 years ago, and I can't find it anywhere. I know, I could run it to VHS but I am being lazy and whiny about it instead) and I'm afraid to get stuck in the guided setup loop, I'm afraid to clear and delete everything.

Which means I guess I'm waiting for Tivo to get their act together. Which means maybe we have to wait for Jerry to get back from vacation?

Before you try guided set up, do a test call (not the daily call). If that works, but the daily call doesn't, the guided set up should work fine.

Guided Setup tries to download a lot of data, nearly the same thing as a Daily Call. This means that although your Test Call is successful, if your Daily Call isn't, chances are a Guided Setup would not be successful either.

I reran guided setup, and it worked. I have guide data again. The indexing isn't complete yet (another hour or so), but the guide data is back. Well worth my 45 minutes. This is definitely worth a try by others having this problem.

I reran guided setup late last night (after clearing program data but NOT clear and delete everything) and it worked, too. All seems back to normal with the guide. I'm curious to see what happens when it tries a regular daily call again.

I'm in a similar situation. My S1 TiVo with a lifetime subscription is failing right around the same point. So I tried re-running Guided Setup, and the call still fails in the same way. Now my TiVo is bricked.

I'm in a similar situation. My S1 TiVo with a lifetime subscription is failing right around the same point. So I tried re-running Guided Setup, and the call still fails in the same way. Now my TiVo is bricked.

Can you make a test call? Or a call to get the list of phone numbers? Where does it die in Guided Setup?

I made my 4th call for support. They told me my 2 year old verizon line now needs a filter. I installed a filter and now the call fails BEFORE I get the service unavailable response. I removed the filter.

Here is my TIVO service call number- 091228-005322. If all the series one tivo users with the service unavailable problem would post their service call numbers then on my next call I can reference ALL the related service calls and not allow them to treat this problem as if I am the only one in this situation.

I did do everything that has been suggested in the posts except guided setup. I do believe that that will brick the box.

No and no. I get the same 'couldn't connect' message I was getting before when I was trying to make a daily call. So, now I can't get out of Guided Setup.

That message is different that the one I was getting, which was "Service Unavailable". I could connect, but then it would fail with the Service error. So you can't even make the first phone call in guided setup which dials the 800 number to initialize the info (service providers and phone numbers in your area)?

I did do everything that has been suggested in the posts except guided setup. I do believe that that will brick the box.

I was definitely concerned about the bricking possibility, which is why I didn't clear and delete. But the box was essentially useless without guide data and I figured that guided setup wouldn't lose all my preferences and season passes even if it failed (in which case I would have waited for a real fix from TiVo).

Since I was able to make calls out to change the phone number and I could see I was connecting to the service just getting "Service unavailable" errors, I decided to give it a shot. Fortunately, it worked for me. Obviously, YMMV.